Straight bar knitting machines

ABSTRACT

A straight bar knitting machine and method of forming thereon a rib border followed by loop transfers for changing to fashioned non-rib fabric, with loop doublings in the last knitted rib course, in which two groups of loop transfer points are used for the loop doublings and embody fashioning groups of points, with pattern controlled lever, trip and ratchet means for causing the fashioning groups of points and the remainder to be relatively displaced and held in and out of mutual alignment, and loop filling-up points associated with the groups of points to fill up holes during fashioning by widening.

United States Patent [19] Blood et al.

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES Inventors: Raymond Blood; Eric WalterMarriott, both of Loughborough, England William Cotton Limited,Loughborough, England Filed: Oct. 12, 1971 Appl. No.: 188,257

Assignee:

Foreign Application Priority Data Nov. 19, 1970 Great Britain 54,052/70References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1968 Start et al. 66/98 June26, 1973 3,376,717 4/1968 Scheller et a1. 66/88 X 3,641,789 2/1972 Bloodet al. 456/96 Primary Examiner-Ronald Feldbaum Attorney-Larson, Taylor &Hinds [57] ABSTRACT A straight bar knitting machine and method offorming thereon a rib border followed by loop transfers for changing tofashioned non-rib fabric, with loop doublings in the last knitted ribcourse, in which two groups of loop transfer points are used for theloop doublings and embody fashioning groups of points, with patterncontrolled lever, trip and ratchet means for causing the fashioninggroups of points and the remainder to be relatively displaced and heldin and out of mutual alignment, and loop filling-up points associatedwith the groups of points to fill up holes during fashioning bywidening.

8 Claims, 15 Drawing Figures mma ms I 3.740.913

SHEU 3 (If 5 FIG. IO. WF

STRAIGHT BAR KNITTING MACHINES This invention is for improvements in orrelating to straight bar knitting machines for making selvedge knittedblanks for garments each blank having a body portion and a rib bordersuch for example as required for ladies jumpers, pullovers, cardigansand the like having a rib waist band and rib cuffs on the sleeves. Inorder to provide such a garment with desired fitting properties, it isusual to produce the rib border on a greater number of beard needlesthan is required for the body portion, and consequently before knittingthe body portion onto the rib border it is usual to reduce the number ofside by side loops of the last knitted rib course to that of the firstknitted course for the body fabric by a loop transferring process knownas loop doubling. In this process an appropriate number of loops in thelast knitted rib course are transferred inwardly of the course to formwith adjacent loops doubled loops at such substantially equally spacedlocations in the course as to reduce the number of side by side loops tothe number required for starting to knit the body fabric.

It has been proposed to effect such loop doubling and to fashion thebody portion by loop transference using two transfer point combs in theusual narrowing head of the machine such that for the loop doubling thepoint combs have imparted to them a series of looptransfer and laterallydisplacing re-set motions, and for fashioning, the point combs haveimparted to them usual widening or narrowing motions with the pointcombs at outwardly displaced locations so that only a small innerfashioning group of the points of each comb co-operate with a smallgroup of selvedge needles at each side of the blank.

As well known, in widening this normally causes the formation of holesin the fabric, and to avoid this a filling-up point is slidably operableat the inner side of each point comb to fill up such holes. In one knownarrangement the filling-up points are half points operated in knownmanner to spread loops laterally over the holes, but this method is notalways suitable. In a spear point arrangement, spear type filling-uppoints are operated in known manner to pick up those individual loopsimmediately behind the holes and to carry such loops forwardly over theholes. However to carry out the spear point arrangement requires aprecision operation at a time when the points are boxing with theirassociated beard needles during which the points not only press thebeards of the needles in the loop transfer process but they do so withsuch necessary force as to deflect the needles and their loops out ofalignment with the remaining needles and their loops and it is at thisprecise stage when the spear points must be disposed in accurateregistry with those loops which are to be picked up. Normally thiscreates no problem when only the usual narrow transfer point fingers areused for fashioning since all the points are utilized to box withassociated needles on all occasions of fashioning almost any width ofblank, and therefore the interrelationship between deflected needles,non-deflected needles, and their loops, is constant at all times.Contrary to this when wide groups of points are used first for loopdoubling and then for fashioning, there are times during the fashioningof wide fabric, such as for body portions, when a plurality for exampletwo thirds, of the points are beyond the ends of the needle row, underthese conditions the extent of deflection of the end groups of needleswhich co-operate with the remaining points is different from otheroccasions during the fashioning of narrower fabric, such as for narrowparts of body portions or for sleeves, when all the points co-operatewith associated needles intermediate the ends of the needle row. Thesedifferent extents of deflection of needles results in variation in theinterrelationship between the deflected needles, the non-deflectedneedles and their loops, such that if the spear type filling-up pointsare initially set to suit say the wide fabric,- a difficulty is that thesetting is unsatisfactory for the narrow fabric and vice versa. Thus aproblem exists to how to overcome the difficulty, and an object of theinvention is to provide for loop doubling and fashioning by use of rowsof transfer points in such improved manner as to avoid such difficulty.

The invention provides a method of producing selvedge knitted blankseach having a body portion and a rib border and embodying transferredloops comprising loop doublings between the body portion and the ribborder and fashioning loops at the selvedges, which method includesimparting loop transfer operations to a pair of aligned rows of looptransfer points to form the loop doublings, imparting loop transferoperations to inner fashioning groups of the points to form thefashioning loops, effecting relative displacements between the innerfashioning groups of points and the remaining outer groups of points tobring the points into the alignment required for the loop doublings andout of such alignment when required for the inner fashioning groups ofpoints to form the fashioning loops, and when the fashioning loops arefor widening imparting filling-up operations to filling-up points at theinner end of the inner fashioning groups of points to fill up wideningholes in satisfactory manner for all widths of the selvedge knittedblanks. The invention also provides in a straight bar knitting machine,loop transfer means comprising, a narrowing head having a pair ofadjusting point bars, a pair of loop transfer point combs carried by thepoint bars respectively, means mounting outer and inner groups of pointsin the combs for relative displacements between such outer and innergroups of points into and out of mutual alignment thereof, andcontrolled operating means operably associated with the point combs andadapted for effecting the relative displacements of the groups of pointsat required times. Conveniently the machine has a greater number offrame needles than the machine needles, means for knitting a rib borderon the machine needles and spaced frame needles, means for transferringthe loops last knitted on the machine needles to intervening frameneedles between the spaced frame needles, means for operating the pointcombs to effect the loop doubling in the course of loops on the frmaeneedles under control of pattern mechanism, means under control of thepattern mechanism for displacing the outer groups of points out ofalignment with the inner fashioning groups of points, means for knittingnon-rib fabric onto the course of loops on the frame needles, means foroperating the point combs for the inner fashioning groups of points onlyto fashion the non-rib fabric including, when widening, operatingthe'filling-up points, and means under control of the pattern mechanismfor displacing the outer groups of points back into alignment with theinner fashioning groups of points.

In one arrangement the outer groups of points are slidably displaceableupwardly and downwardly relative to the inner fashioning groups ofpoints.

Conveniently the controlled operating mechanism for the outer groups ofpoints includes trip mechanism adapted for releasably holding the outergroups of points in each position to which they are displaced.Conveniently also the controlled operating mechanism includes anoperating lever having a bifurcated end for releasable engagement withthe trip mechanism during raising and lowering motions of the narrowinghead. The loop doubling mechanism is conveniently under control of adisc control shaft and the same control shaft has a control element forinstigating displacement of the outer groups of points following thecompletion of the loop doubling. Said bifurcated lever is convenientlyunder control of said control element through the medium of reversibleratchet means. Conveniently prop means are operable for releasablyholding the mechanism in its different operated conditions. Convenientlyalso the mechanism is in duplicate one for each point comb.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood referencewill now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of needles and rib fabric showing transferof machine needle loops to frame needles as previously proposed in astraight bar knitting machine.

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view of a first loop doubling stage aspreviously proposed in the transition course, using point combs,

FIG. 3 is a similar view to FIG. 2 showing a later loop doubling stage,

FIG. 4 is a similar view to FIG. 3 showing a further loop doublingstage,

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the rib fabric with the loop doublingsand having non-rib body fabric knitted onto it, and with only an innerfashioning group of points in operative position.

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the fabric showing a first wideningstage,

FIG. 7 is a similar view to FIG. 6 showing a later widening stage withoperation of a filling-up point,

FIG 8 is a similar view to FIG. 7 showing a further widening stage witha widening hole filled up.

FIG. 9 is a diagrammatic front view of needles and points arranged forloop doubling.

FIG. 10 is a similar view to FIG. 9 with the points arranged forfashioning on wide fabric.

FIG. 11 is a similar view to FIG. 10 with the points arranged forfashioning on narrow fabric.

FIG. 12 is an enlarged front view of point combs.

FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view of one of the point combs.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged cross sectional view of controlled operatingmechanism for parts of the point combs.

FIG. 15 is a detail view of propping means for said mechanism.

Referring to FIG. 1', vertical beard needles 1 have cooperating withthem spaced horizontal latch needles MN as disclosed for example in GB.U.S. Pat. No. 1,295,853, to which reference may be made although onlythe following description is necessary for a proper understanding of thepresent invention. Rib fabric RB is knitted on the needles MN and onspaced ones of the needles 1. Loop spreader elements LSE are carried bythe needles MN. When it is required to change from rib to non-rib fabricthe needles MN are advanced to spread their loops L, and theirassociated loop-less needles 1 are raised through these loops so thatupon retraction of the needles MN the loops become transferred to theloop-less needles I thus forming with the loops on the other needles 1 anon-rib course on all the needles 1. In accordance with said Applicationthe number of side by side loops in the non-rib course is greater thanthe number required for starting non-rib fabric, and for this reasonloop doubling is effected at spaced locations. For this purpose a pairof rows 2, 2a of loop transfer points 3, 3a FIGS. 9 to 11, are operatedas hereinafter more fully described for the points 3 with reference toFIGS. 2 to 4.

Referring to FIG. 2 the row 2 of points 3 are shown after having pickedup one set of loops LL near the centre of the knitting section andhaving transferred the loops LL one needle inwards to form a first loopdoubling LL. This leaves a loop-less needle la. Next the row 2 of points3 is re-set outwardly and is again operated to form a second loopdoubling L2, FIG. 3, and this is repeated a required number of timesuntil the innermost point 3P registers with the loop-less needle 1a.Then the row 2 of points 3 is given a two-needle inward transfer to forma further loop doubling such as L3 FIG. 4 which also provides the needle1a with a loop. This sequence is continued progressively outwardly untilthe number of side by side loops is equal to that required for startingnon-rib fabric, as disclosed in said Application.

After knitting a number of rows of non-rib fabric NR onto the rib fabricRB as shown for example in FIG. 5, points 3b'of an outer group notrequired for fashioning are rendered ineffective and points 3c of aninner fashioning group only are operative in this example for widening.

During the widening and when the points 3c in known manner box withtheir associated selvedge needles ls, FIG. 6, these needles ls aredeflected by the points 30 out of alignment with the remaining needlesLR as shown. A filling-up point FP at the inner end of the points 30,being then disposed over a loop L4 in the last one course C, is operatedto penetrate the loop L4. Next, the points 30 and F? are eased forwardsand the needles again become aligned with each other as in FIG. 7.

Then the points 3c and F? lift their loops upwards and transfer them oneneedle outwards whereupon they re-engage the next needles, FIG. 8, towhich the loops are transferred by the points.

It will be seen from FIG. 8 that the filling up loop L4 extends acrossthe hole H which was formed by the widening.

This method of filling up widening holes is known practice in itself,but it is to be noted that in the present instance the inner fashioningpoints 30 and the filling up point FP are operated while the remainingpoints 3b are maintained ineffective.

An important advantage of the arrangement is explained with reference toFIGS. 10, 11. FIG. 10 shows the inner fashioning points 3c, 3c! inposition for cooperating with selvedges of wide fabric WF, and FIG. 11shows the same inner fashioning points 3c, 3d in position forco-operating with selvedges of narrow fabric NF. In each instance theremaining points 3b, 3bl of outer groups are inoperative on the needles.It will be therefore appreciated that, contrary to when the point combshave been used heretofore for loop doubling and fashioning, thedeflection of needles during fashioning is constant for all widths offabric, and this ensures that filling up of widening holes issatisfactory for all widths of fabric for which point combs are employedfor loop doubling.

For controlled operation of the rows of points they are in the form ofloop transfer point combs 4, 5 as shown in FIG. 9, and they are mountedin the machines usual narrowing head by the comb 4 being car-v ried'byan adjusting bar 6 and the comb 5 being carried by an adjusting bar 7,such bars being the usual point bars through which fashioning points areoperated for fashioning by loop transference.

The point combs 4, 5 consist of mounting plates 4a, 5a, to which aresecured the inner groups of fashioning points 3c, 30!, and which havevertical slideway formations for slide plates 8, 9, FIGS. 10, 11, whichcarry the outer groups of points 3b, 3bl.

The vertical slideways are shown at 10, 11, 12, 13 in FIG. 12 and thisfigure also shows that the filling-up point fingers 14, 15 are alsomounted on vertical slideways 16, 17 and they have upper extensions 18,19 through which they are operated in known manner.

The slide plates 8, 9 also have upper extensions 20, 21, 22, 23 throughwhich they are operated.

These extensions have upper end hooks 24 to 27, see also FIG. 13, whichhook onto operating rods such as that shown at 28 in FIG. 14, the hooks26, 27 being on the rod 28 and the hooks 24, being on another similarrod not shown.

Referring to FIG. 14 the usual arms wich carry the narrowing head inpivotal manner are represented by the arm 29 on a shaft 30. This arm 29carries the bars 6, 7 the rods such as 28, rods such as 31, 32, 33 and abracket 34.

On the rod 32 is a control lever 35 one arm 35a of which is connected tothe rod 28 and the other arm 35b of which has an end roller 36 andlaterally projecting peg 37. For releasable co-operation with the peg 37is a trip lever 38 to one arm 38a of which is connected a spring 39 andthe other arm 38b of which has two spaced recesses 38c, 38d and an endnose portion 38e. The trip lever is pivoted at 38f to the bracket 34.For co-operation with the roller 36 and nose portion 38e there is alever 40 pivoted at 40a to a frame part 41 and one arm 40b of this leveris bifurcated to form two fingers 40c, 40d.

Normally the roller 36 is engaged between the fingers 40c, 40d, asshown, with the nose portion 38e bearing against an end face 40e of thefingers 40d such as to hold the trip lever 38 clear of the peg 37. Inthe position shown, the outer group of points carried by the plate 8 isin its normal down position for loop doubling, and the peg 37 is held bythe roller 36 engaging between the fingers 40c, 40d, opposite the recess38d. Consequently when the narrowing head next descends, carrying thecontrol lever 35 and the trip lever 35b with it, the spring 39 acts toengage the recess 38d with the peg 37 to maintain the plate 8 in itsdown position. Upon upward return of the narrowing head the parts revertback to the positions shown, and this is repeated as many times as isnecessary for the number of loop doublings required.

For changing to fashioning, the bifurcated lever 40 is operated, bymeans to be hereinafter described, to lower its arm 40b so as todisplace the roller 36 and the trip arm 38 to raise the plate 8 to itseffective position. At this stage the peg 37 is disposed opposite therecess 380 so that when the narrowing head next lowers, the peg 37engages in the recess 380 to maintain the plate 8 in its ineffectiveposition. Upon upward return of the narrowing head the parts revert backto the positions with the peg 37 opposite the recess 380 as many timesas is necessary for fashioning and until the bifurcated lever 40 isreverse operated to return the parts to the positions for loop doublingagain in the next blank.

For operating the bifurcated lever 40 its other arm 40g is connected bya link 40f to an arm 42 on a rod 43 and also on the rod 43 is a ratchetwheel 44 having a limited number of teeth 45, 46, at opposite locations.For operating the ratchet wheel 44 a pair of pawls 47, 48 are carried byarms 49, 50 on the rod 43 which are connected by links 51, 52 to a camfollower lever 53 engaging a cam 54 on the machines cam shaft 55. Inaddition there is a control plate 56 having steps 56a,

' 56b at opposite locations for control of the pawls 47,

48. This control plate 56 is connected by a link 57 to a control lever58 which is operated by the pattern bits of a control disc 59 on apattern control shaft 60 which is racked on as and when required inusual manner.

There is further provided a prop mechanism, FIG. 15, in which there isconnected to the control lever 58 a link 61 which through a spring 62and pin and slot 63, 64, is connected to a pawl 65 pivoted at 65a andhaving releasable engagement with either of two teeth 66, 67 of an arm68 which is carried by the rod 48.

The arrangement is such that with the bifurcated lever 40 in thepositionshown, i.e. with the plate 8 down, the pawl 47 was the last to operatethrough operation of the link 57 by the control lever 58 (see dottedposition) being on a pattern bit of the control disc 59. In thisposition of the parts the pawl 65 would engage the upper tooth 67 tohold the racked parts operated. When the plate 8 is required to belifted to ineffective position, the control lever 58 (see full lineposition) would drop off the pattern bit to displace the control plate56 so as to render the pawl 47 inoperative and the pawl 58 operative.Thereby the ratchet wheel 44 would be racked clockwise for lowering thearm 40b of the bifurcated lever 40 to raise the plate 8 to theineffective position as hereinbefore referred to. In this position ofthe parts the pawl 65 engages in the lower notch as shown in FIG. 15 forholding the racked parts operated. It will be understood from this howfurther operations of the racking mechanism takes place for the furtheroperations required of the plate 8.

It is also to be noted that the controlled operating mechanism as hereindescribed is wholly or in part duplicated for acting respectively on thetwo rods such as 28 for required control of the two plates 8 and 9 andtheir outer groups of points.

It is to be also noted that the pattern control of operations of thesepoints starts to take place for loop doubling in timed relation topattern control of the machine to change from rib knitting to non-ribknitting.

What we claim is:'

1. A straight bar knitting machine having a greater number of frameneedles than the machine needles, loop transfer means comprising anarrow head having a pair of adjusting point bars, a pair of looptransfer points combs carried by the point bars respectively, meansmounting outer and inner groups of points in the combs for relativedisplacements between such outer and inner groups of points into and outof mutual alignment thereof, controlled operating means operablyassociated with the point combs for effecting the relative displacementof the groups of points at required times, means for knitting a ribborder on the machine needles and spaced frame needles, means fortransferring the loops last knitted on the machine needles tointervening frame needles between the spaced frame needles, loopdoubling means for operating the point combs to effect the loop doublingin the course of loops on the frame needles under control of a patternmechanism means under control of the pattern mechanism for displacingthe outer groups of points out of. alignment with the inner fashioninggroups of points, means for knitting non-rib fabric on to the course ofloops on the frame needles, means for operating the point combs for theinner fashioning groups of points only to fashion the non-rib fabricincluding, when widening, operating the filling-up points, and meansunder control of the pattern mechanism for displacing the outer groupsof points back into alignment with the inner fashioning groups ofpoints.

2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the outer groups of points areslidably displacable upwardly and downwardly relative to the innerfashioning groups of points.

3. A machine according to any of claim 1 wherein the controlledoperating means for the outer groups of points includes a trip mechanismadapted there releasably hold the outer groups of points in eachposition to which they are displaced.

4. A machine according to any of claim 3 wherein the controlledoperating means includes an operating lever having a bifurcated endreleasably engagable with the trip mechanism during raising and loweringmotions of the narrowing head.

5. A machine according to any of claim 4 wherein the loop doubling meansis under control of a disc control shaft and the same control shaft hasa control element for instigating displacement of the outer groups ofpoints following the completion of the loop doubling.

6. A machine according to claim 5 wherein the bifurcated lever is underthe control of said control element through the medium of a reversibleratchet means.

7. A machine according to claim 6 including prop means for releasablyholding the controlled operating means in its different operatedpositions.

8. A machine according to claim 7 wherein the controlled operating meansis in duplicate for each point comb.

1. A straight bar knitting machine having a greater number of frameneedles than the machine needles, loop transfer means comprising anarrow head having a pair of adjusting point bars, a pair of looptransfer points combs carried by the point bars respectively, meansmounting outer and inner groups of points in the combs for relativedisplacements between such outer and inner groups of points into and outof mutual alignment thereof, controlled operating means operablyassociated with the point combs for effecting the relative displacementof the groups of points at required times, means for knitting a ribborder on the machine needles and spaced frame needles, means fortransferring the loops last knitted on the machine needles tointervening frame needles between the spaced frame needles, loopdoubling means for operating the point combs to effect the loop doublingin the course of loops on the frame needles under control of a patternmechanism means under control of the pattern mechanism for displacingthe outer groups of points out of alignment with the inner fashioninggroups of points, means for knitting non-rib fabric on to the course ofloops on the frame needles, means for operating the point combs for theinner fashioning groups of points only to fashion the non-rib fabricincluding, when widening, operating the filling-up points, and meansunder control of the pattern mechanism for displacing the outer groupsof points back into alignment with the inner fashioning groups ofpoints.
 2. A machine according to claim 1 wherein the outer groups ofpoints are slidably displacable upwardly and downwardly relative to theinner fashioning groups of points.
 3. A machine according to any ofclaim 1 wherein the controlled operating means for the outer groups ofpoints includes a trip mechanism adapted there releasably hold the outergroups of points in each position to which they are displaced.
 4. Amachine according to any of claim 3 wherein the controlled operatingmeans includes an operating lever having a bifurcated end releasablyengagable with the trip mechanism during raising and lowering motions ofthe narrowIng head.
 5. A machine according to any of claim 4 wherein theloop doubling means is under control of a disc control shaft and thesame control shaft has a control element for instigating displacement ofthe outer groups of points following the completion of the loopdoubling.
 6. A machine according to claim 5 wherein the bifurcated leveris under the control of said control element through the medium of areversible ratchet means.
 7. A machine according to claim 6 includingprop means for releasably holding the controlled operating means in itsdifferent operated positions.
 8. A machine according to claim 7 whereinthe controlled operating means is in duplicate for each point comb.